2 Samuel 12
1 So then Yahweh sent Nathan the prophet unto David, —who therefore came unto him and said to him—Two men, there were in a certain city, the one, rich, and, the other, poor.
The Lord sent Nathan to see David. When he got there, he said, “Once there were two men living in the same town. One was rich, and one was poor.
2 The, rich, man had flocks and herds exceeding many;
The rich man had many thousands of sheep and cattle,
3 whereas the, poor, man had, nothing, —save one little lamb, which he had made his own, and sustained, and it had grown up with him and with his children, all together, —of his own morsel, used it to eat, and, out of his own cup, used it to drink, and, in his own bosom, used it to lie, and it was to him, as a daughter.
but the poor man didn't have anything but one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He cared for it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his plate and drank from his cup. It slept on his lap and was like a daughter to him.
4 Now there came a traveller to the rich man, but he thought it a pity to take of his own flock, or his own herd, to make ready for the wayfarer who had come to him, —so he took the lamb of his poor neighbour, and made ready for the man who had come to him.
One day the rich man had a visitor. He didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed his visitor. He took the poor man's lamb instead to prepare a meal for his visitor.”
5 Then was kindled the anger of David against the man, fiercely, —and he said unto Nathan, By the life of Yahweh, doomed to death, is the man that hath done this;
David became absolutely furious with what that man did, and angrily told Nathan. “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should be put to death!
6 and, the lamb, shall he pay back sevenfold, —because he did this thing, and, for that he had no pity.
He must repay that lamb with four of his own for doing this, for being so heartless.”
7 Then said Nathan unto David: Thou, art the man! Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel—I, anointed thee to be king over Israel, and, I, delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
“You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from Saul.
8 and gave unto thee the household of thy lord, and the wives of thy lord, into thy bosom, and gave unto thee the house of Israel and Judah. And, if this had been too little, I could have further given thee more and more of such things.
I gave your master's house to you and placed your master's wives in your lap. I gave you the kingdom of Israel and Judah, and if that hadn't been enough, I would have given you so much more.
9 Wherefore, hast thou despised the word of Yahweh, by doing that which is wicked in mine eyes? Uriah the Hittite, hast thou smitten with the sword, and, his wife, hast thou taken to thyself to wife, yea, him, hast thou slain with the sword of the sons of Ammon!
So why have you treated what Lord said with contempt by doing evil in his sight? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife—you killed him using the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword shall not depart from thy house, unto age-abiding times, —because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
So your descendants will always face the sword that kills because you treated me with contempt and stole Uriah's wife.
11 Thus, saith Yahweh, —Behold me! raising up over thee calamity out of thine own household, and I will take thy wives, before thine eyes, and give unto thy neighbour, and he will lie with thy wives, in the eyes of this sun.
This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster in you from your own family. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to someone else, and he will sleep openly with your wives where everyone can see.
12 For, thou, didst it, in secret, —but, I, will do this thing, before all Israel, and before the sun.
You did it all in secret, but I will do it openly where everyone in all of Israel can see.”
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahweh. Then said Nathan unto David, —Yahweh also, hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die!
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You're not going to die,” Nathan replied.
14 Nevertheless, because thou hast greatly blasphemed Yahweh, by this thing, the very son that is born to thee, shall, die.
“But because by doing this you have treated the Lord with complete contempt, the son you have will die.”
15 And Nathan departed unto his own house, —and Yahweh struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne unto David, and it fell sick.
Then Nathan went home. The Lord made the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David become very sick.
16 David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, —and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy. He fasted, went to his bedroom, and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
17 And the elders of his house stood up over him, to raise him from the ground, —but he would not, neither would he eat food with them.
His senior officials approached him and tried to help him up from the ground, but he didn't want to, and he refused their appeals to eat.
18 And it came to pass, on the seventh day, that the child died, —but the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead, for said they—Lo! while the child was living, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice, how then can we say unto him, The child is dead, and so he do [himself] harm?
On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were scared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said to each other, “Look, while the child was still alive, we talked with him, and he refused to listen to us. How on earth can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something really bad!”
19 But, when David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves, then understood David that the child was dead, —and David said unto his servants—Is the child, dead? And they answered—Dead!
But David saw his officials were whispering among themselves, he realized that the child was dead. So he asked his officials, “Did the child die?” “Yes, he died,” they replied.
20 Then David arose from the ground, and bathed and anointed, and changed his apparel, and, entering into the house of Yahweh, bowed himself down, —then came he into his own house, and asked, and they set before him food, and he did eat.
David got up from the ground, washed and put on scented oils, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Afterwards he went back home, and asked for some food. So they served him a meal which he ate.
21 Then said his servants unto him, What is this thing that thou hast done? For the child’s sake, while living, thou didst fast and weep, but, as soon as the child was dead, thou didst arise and eat food.
“Why are you acting like this?” his officials asked him. “While the child was still alive, you fasted and cried aloud, but now that he's dead, you get up and eat.”
22 And he said, —While yet the child lived, I fasted, and wept, —for I said—Who knoweth whether Yahweh may not grant me favour, and the child live?
David replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and cried aloud, for I thought to myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will be gracious to me and let him live.’
23 But, now, that he is dead, wherefore should I go on fasting? can I bring him back again? I am going unto him, but, he, will not come back unto me.
But now that he's dead, what's the point for me to go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? One day I will die and go to him, but he will never come back to me.”
24 And David consoled Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her, —and she bare a son, and called his name, Solomon, and Yahweh loved him.
David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and he made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child,
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jedidiah ["Beloved of Yah"], for Yahweh’s sake.
so he sent a message through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah, of the sons of Ammon, —and captured the royal city.
At this time Joab had been fighting against the Ammonite town of Rabbah, and had captured the royal fortress.
27 Then Joab sent messengers unto David, —and said—I have fought against Rabbah, I have also captured the city of the waters.
Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I have attacked Rabbah and I have also captured its water supply.
28 Now, therefore, gather thou together the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and capture it, —lest, I, capture the city, and it be called by my name.
So please call up the rest of the army, besiege the town, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and I will get the credit.”
29 So David gathered together all the people, and went to Rabbah, —and fought against it, and captured it.
So David called up the rest of the army and marched on Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it.
30 Then took he the crown of Milcom from off his head, the weight thereof, being a talent of gold, with the precious stones, and it remained on the head of David, —the spoil of the city also, brought he forth in great abundance;
He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. It weighed a talent of gold and was decorated with precious stones. David took a large amount of plunder from the town.
31 the people also that were therein, brought he forth, and put them to the saw, and to threshing sledges of iron, and to axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln, and thus used he to do unto all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
David took the inhabitants and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he also made them work making bricks. He did the same in all the Ammonite towns. Then David and the whole Israelite army returned to Jerusalem.
